The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of either of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
The printing process of a laser printer includes rotating a photoreceptor drum in contact or in close proximity to a sheet of paper or other print media to transfer an image from the photoreceptor drum to the print media. The image is initially communicated to the photoreceptor drum by one or more mirrors that direct a laser beam onto the photoreceptor drum as it rotates. A stream of data turns the laser beam on and off as it sweeps across the photoreceptor drum, leaving a line of static charge that corresponds to a line of the image.
A laser printer or a photocopier may implement a multi-faceted or polygonal rotating mirror to direct a single beam or multiple beams at the photoreceptive drum. The manufacturing of the mirror is not perfect. Facets of the mirror that are not at the ideal length or angle result in distorted images and periodic artifacts in the printed image.